What Eddie Can Do [Hardcover]

Wilfried Gebhard (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

What can Eddie do? Lots of things! He can go deep sea diving, he can tame tigers, he can even travel through outer space.

What can’t Eddie do? He can’t tie his shoes! Which means he can’t rescue his friend Clara from the double-tailed monster either. Well, not without a little help – and a quick lesson – from Mom.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Imaginative Eddie can't be bothered to learn how to tie his shoes; he's too busy deep-sea diving, exploring caves, and galloping across the plains, all with his shoelaces flopping around his feet. However, when he and his friend Clara encounter a make-believe foe that only a good tight knot will conquer, he rises to the occasion and learns how it's done. Gebhard's fanciful illustrations show each of the boy's imagined scenarios, along with a few details that tie the scene to day-to-day life. For example, the child flies through outer space in a cardboard box with a colander perched on his head and tames tigers with a hula hoop. The author includes step-by-step visual instructions on how to tie shoes that may require adult assistance in order to make sense to young readers. An upbeat look at conquering one of childhood's milestones. –Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. When Eddie's mother offers to show him how to tie his shoelaces, he says, "I don't have time." He does have time, though, for imaginary adventures such as diving to a sunken ship, exploring a cave, and traveling through space. Finally, he attempts to save his neighbor from a two-tailed monster. He could easily tie the monster's tails to a tree, but . . . first a quick trip back to Mom for a quick lesson in shoelace tying. This picture book, originally published in Germany, has plenty of universal child appeal, from the down-to-earth problem of not knowing how to tie shoelaces to the high-flying fantasies of Eddie's imagination. The text is relatively brief, but the story comes through in the engaging, cartoonlike ink drawings, washed with bright colors. For kids who need a little practical motivation for learning to tie, this upbeat picture book provides the fun of an absurd reason as well as step-by-step, illustrated instructions. Great for children ready to venture beyond Velcro. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Pub (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929132603
• ISBN-13: 978-1929132607
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,470,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars What an imagination, February 7, 2007

By 

Karen Woodworth Roman "Happy Librarian" (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Eddie Can Do (Hardcover)

What Eddie Can Do by German author Wilfried Gebhard doesn't dwell on the fact that Eddie can't tie his shoes. Eddie is too busy taming tigers and flying with the birds. On each page we see a little reality and a great deal of Eddie's imagination. What fun Eddie has on his adventures. Finally, he needs to know how to tie up a terrible double-tailed monster (the unbelieving will only see a red garden hose); his mother is there to show him how. After tying his own shoes he takes on that monster. The illustrations beautifully bring this tale of wonder to life. It is also available in Spanish as Lo Que Eduardo Sabe Hacer/ What Eddie Can Dor. Karen Woodworth Roman, Reference Librarian